With the CAM project all but complete, the team at Eveleigh are keeping the momentum going by starting work on the full overhaul and restoration of first class compartment car XBS2158.
This car is currently undergoing a full restoration for the NSW rail heritage community.
This car was facing an uncertain future on a private property in the NSW Hunter Valley. It was subsequently transferred to Sydney in late 2014 to facilitate the re-activation works in keeping with the long standing Eveleigh Railway Workshop tradition repairing heritage rolling stock.
Overall this car is in pretty good shape, but there is always much work to be done. Some collision damage is evident from its railway service on one end of the car, requiring some repair works.
Daniel and James have been leading the charge, stripping out the toilet area where a new steel floor has been sought, and duly cut to size and welded in situ.
The vertical columns have been replaced also and are looking great. A quick coat of metal primer and the whole show is now awaiting the steel sheeting, which has been cut to size to seal the carriage exterior.
Window work is well underway also, with Project Leader Daniel coordinating the lads to slip the old windows out of the car to allow components to stripped. Each of these windows will require an individual assessment to determine if it can be salvaged and repaired…
There are a lot of metal window fittings that need cleaning and polishing so get in touch if you think you can offer some worthwhile assistance!
Having been in storage for so many decades, there is a lot of nuisance dust in the carriage. So the boys have spent a lot of time working through each compartment cleaning them out. There are a lot of interesting heirlooms behind the seats!
But there is always soooo much cleaning to be done! More XBS updates soon.
